


When Peggy Met Phryne; or, Tea for Two, Coffee for Everyone Else

by aurora_australis



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen, Tea, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 17:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19381075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora_australis/pseuds/aurora_australis
Summary: Phryne Fisher had worked with a lot of agents during her time with British Intelligence.Peggy Carter was the best.Four years later the two women reunite for drinks, a discussion and just a dash of disturbing the peace, while the men in their lives silently count their lucky stars.





	When Peggy Met Phryne; or, Tea for Two, Coffee for Everyone Else

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first crossover (more on that in end notes), so I wanted to give a little background on each show in case anyone reading for one is unfamiliar with the other. 
> 
> _Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries_ follows the exploits of The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective and human badass, and (among other characters) her partner, Senior Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, as they solve murders and slow burn like champs for three seasons. The show is set in Melbourne, Australia during 1928/1929. Both Phryne and Jack served in WWI (she was an ambulance driver and he was a soldier) and she worked briefly for British Intelligence after the war; it makes sense to me that they would have served again in WWII. 
> 
> _Agent Carter_ follows the exploits of Peggy Carter, federal agent and human badass, and (among other characters) her partner, Daniel Sousa, as they save the world and blow things up for a criminally short two seasons. The show is set in the United States during 1946/1947. Both Peggy and Daniel served in WWII (she started in British Intelligence and he was a reconnaissance scout for the US Army). 
> 
> If you’re a fan of one show, but don’t know the other, I HIGHLY recommend you give it a try. Both shows are completely fabulous with amazing female leads, gorgeous visuals, and a fantastic cast of supporting characters. 
> 
> End of lecture, hope you enjoy the story. :-)
> 
> A million thanks to Fire_Sign for the beta read! I, you gentle reader, and the world at large are all extremely lucky she is fluent in multiple fandoms.

_**Santa Monica, California**_

_**May 1949**_

Jack looked out at the water, the yellow glow just beginning to change to redder tones, and slowly sipped his tea. Beside him, Phryne surreptitiously added a splash from her flask to her coffee, then stirred it with a spoon, the picture of grace and innocence. 

Jack stifled a snort.

“What?” she asked. “I suggested cocktails, but Peggy wanted to meet here” — she waved vaguely at the little outdoor cafe where they were currently waiting — “instead. I am simply compromising.”

Jack tilted his head at her, but smiled all the same; he kept his amusement much less thinly veiled these days.

“Well if you’re drunk when your friend finally arrives, on your head be it.”

“Jack! I am a _lady_. We are never drunk, just… slightly overcome.”

Jack didn’t even try to stifle the snort this time.

“You certain you don’t want some?” she asked.

“Miss Fisher, this is actually very good tea, which I have discovered to be something of a rarity in this country. I plan to enjoy it unsullied, thank you very much.”

“Suit yourself, Jack.” She put the flask back in her purse and took a dainty sip. “Personally, I like things a little sullied.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jack murmured meaningfully and Phryne laughed, that light, joyful laugh he loved so much even after almost two decades together.

Jack took another sip of his tea and looked around the overwise empty cafe. It was late afternoon, but still well before the dinner rush, and except for the waitress who had taken their order - and who was currently nowhere to be seen - they were alone. 

Phryne’s friend was late.

Jack could say he minded, but the truth was he didn’t. The weather was lovely, the tea was strong, and the woman by his side was both. And honestly - they deserved this.

The war - the _second_ war - had ended four years ago, and Jack and Phryne were taking their first real holiday since returning home from their respective services. They’d settled back into their lives fairly quickly afterwards - Jack was Chief Superintendent of the Victoria Police and Phryne’s agency now employed five detectives in addition to her, all women - but that was part of the problem. After so many years apart, they had got right back into the thick of things, with family, work, and all the responsibilities of home. So when Phryne had _strongly_ suggested he take his long service leave and join her on another extended trip, just the two of them this time, he had… well if not jumped, then certainly hopped at the opportunity. They’d both seen enough of Europe the last time they’d left Australia, so they decided to explore the Americas on this adventure. They’d flown into San Francisco a week ago and were slowly making their way down the California coast before heading towards the wild west and points beyond in a few days.

And if Jack was hoping to see a cowboy when they did, well, no one needed to know that but him.

So now they were in Los Angeles, a town that held few charms for Jack who had never really developed an interest in pictures, talking or otherwise, but positively delighted Phryne. And, as it turned out, she had an old friend from the war - the second war - in town as well who wanted to catch up. So plans were made to meet this afternoon instead of touring the town as they’d originally scheduled.

But now Phryne’s friend was late.

Jack had just glanced at his watch, and was silently reconsidering Phryne’s whisky offer, when he heard a car pull up quickly outside the cafe. He looked up just in time to see two people emerge from the vehicle. The noise had caught Phryne’s attention as well and she smiled at what she saw.

The couple were approaching the cafe at a rapid clip. The man wore a sports coat over what looked like a tropical print shirt - really, must everyone in this town dress like a cartoon - and had a crutch attached to his left arm. The woman had brown hair, perfectly coiffed, and wore a fashionable, if also highly functional, blue dress. She waved at Phryne when she spotted them, and Phryne waved back.

Jack squinted to get a better look. “She’s young,” Jack said. “Younger than I thought she’d be.”

“Mmmmm.” Phryne agreed, then did some quick mental math. “28 now, I think?”

“When did 28 become so young?” Jack wondered absently. 

“For you, darling? Probably the day you turned 29.”

Jack rolled his eyes, but also suppressed a smile. She was probably right, but it would not do to let her know; it almost never did. Instead, Jack turned his attention back to the approaching couple, and especially the young lady.

The first thing Jack noticed upon closer examination was a striking similarity between the two women. Not in looks, not even when Phryne had been younger. Not in their demeanors, excepting the obvious confidence. But still, there was an unmistakable similarity. If Mrs Bolwhatsit - and it had been so long by now that Jack had genuinely forgotten her name - was there, she might have said the two shared an aura. Or perhaps just a solid sense of who they were, an impression made even stronger for Jack once their guests reached the table. 

Phryne stood immediately and pulled the younger woman in for a hug, something Jack got the impression the other woman rarely did but would make an exception for with Phryne. 

“Peggy!” Phryne exclaimed. “How wonderful to see you!”

“You as well.” Peggy’s tone was clipped and polite, an inflection Jack was well familiar with from his many encounters with Phryne’s stiff upper lip relations. But her expression, her expression was more. The two women stood there in silence for several long moments, just taking each other in. Peggy was obviously happy to see her old friend, but it went deeper than that. It reminded Jack of how he felt every time he saw Tommy, who had served with him all through the war - the _first_ war; a sense of connection, of camaraderie so deep words were almost superfluous. 

Unless, of course, there were other people present.

Which there were.

It was Peggy who spoke again first. “So sorry we’re late; car trouble. And I suppose we should make introductions as well,” she suggested with a slightly self-conscious shake of her head.

Phryne nodded. “Of course.” She extended her arm to the young man standing next to Peggy. “The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher.” Shaking his hand, she nodded towards Jack. “And my partner, Chief Superintendent Jack Robinson.”

Peggy smiled and shook Jack’s hand. “Peggy Carter. And _my_ partner, Daniel Sousa.”

“Look, I don’t know what you call things Down Under,” Daniel interjected with a grin. “But I’m her husband.”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “Daniel…”

“What?” Daniel’s grin simply grew at her admonishment. “I’ve only been able to say it for a month. Lemme have this, Peg. Just for now. I’m sure I’ll get tired of it in six, seven decades. Tops.”

Peggy put her hands on her hips, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Yes, alright, my _husband_ , Daniel Sousa.”

“Now, was that so hard?” He turned back to Phryne and Jack. “Nice to meet you.” Placing his crutch on the floor, Daniel maneuvered into a chair and Peggy followed suit. “So what brings you folks to California?”

“A long overdue holiday,” Phryne told him. “A bit last minute with the planning, but when Jack’s leave finally went through we didn’t want to wait another moment. Imagine my delight when Peggy rang me at the hotel in San Francisco last week. I didn’t even know you were out here, I thought you were in New York.”

“No, I transferred out here about eighteen months ago. I was in New York before that though.”

“Yes, at the telephone company, wasn’t it?” Phryne calmly stirred her coffee as she spoke, but her voice had gone up at least half an octave. Jack closed his eyes at the familiar tell and took a deep breath; he should have known there was more to this than just meeting up with an old wartime acquaintance. “Must be how you got my number at the hotel,” Phryne added with a meaningful arch of her eyebrow. 

So Phryne was privy to more than she’d let on. Fabulous. Jack mentally prepared himself for the worst. Or the best. He never really knew with Phryne, but either way superlatives were almost always in order. He narrowed his gaze and tried to catch her eye, but she was still looking at the couple across the table.

Staring right back, Daniel looked a bit apprehensive, but Peggy seemed unsurprised and just shook her head.

“Alright, Phryne, how much do you know?”

“Know about what, darling?”

“Well, let’s start with telephones and go from there.”

“Alexander Graham Bell always maintained that the proper telephone greeting should be ‘ahoy.’”

“Phryne….”

Phryne shrugged. “I _may_ have heard a rumour or two…”

Peggy crossed her arms and stared at the woman across from her.

With a sigh, Phryne stopped stirring her coffee. “Alright, fine. If the grapevine is to be believed - and who knows if it is, four star generals are such gossips, darling - you are currently one of the top agents at the Strategic Scientific Reserve.” Phryne tried to keep an even expression as she spoke, but there was no mistaking the pride in her eyes.

Daniel cursed quietly under his breath, but Phryne just smiled at him.

“And congratulations on your promotion, _Chief_. Well earned.”

With a sigh of his own, Jack turned to Phryne. “Miss Fisher, you promised this was a holiday.”

“And so it is, darling! This is just a coincidence; I've hardly dragged us all the way to America to play spy.”

Jack leveled an unamused look at her. “You say that like it would be out of character, Mata Hari.”

“I’m _retired_ , Jack,” she assured him. Then, into her coffee, “mostly.”

Exchanging a look, Peggy and Daniel seemed to decide to just roll with this new development. 

“Well,” Daniel said, with a resigned expression, “since there doesn’t seem to be any point to a cover story anymore for any of us, can I finally ask how exactly you know Peggy? All I’ve gathered so far is that you knew each other during the war.”

Looking at the affable young man across from him, Jack was suddenly struck with a fervent hope that this generation would never need to clarify which war they meant. He shook off the feeling and tried to refocus on what Phryne was saying instead.

“Of course! I believe many of the details are still classified, but speaking generally, Peggy was assigned to be my backup on a number of undercover ops I ran along the front and parts beyond. Two women never seemed like a threat… until we did. We worked together probably a half dozen times while we were both with that Baker Street lot, and then a few more once she teamed up with the Americans.”

“You did undercover work behind enemy lines?” Daniel asked, clearly impressed.

“Phryne _excelled_ at undercover work,” Peggy corrected. “She speaks a dozen languages and possesses a tongue of solid silver. She could talk her way out of any situation.”

“Whereas Peggy preferred to punch her way out,” Phryne added fondly.

“As I recall,” Peggy began, “you were rather good with a fist or a weapon yourself when the circumstances called for it. Oh, that reminds me…”

Peggy reached into her purse and pulled out a package, spilling a lipstick container and compact on the table as she did.

“This,” she said, shoving her belongings back in her purse and then handing Phryne a small wrapped parcel, “is for you.”

With a look, Phryne silently asked if she could open it. At Peggy’s nod, she carefully unwrapped it, revealing a small black article of clothing.

“It’s a garter,” Peggy explained. “That's also a holster.”

“Oh, that is brilliant!” Phryne exclaimed.

“Isn’t it? My friend Ana sews them for me. I thought you might appreciate one.”

Jack glanced over to see that Daniel looked slightly uncomfortable with the gift and stifled a laugh; if garters made him nervous he was likely in for a lifetime of anxiety. 

Jack had half a mind to mention the feathers.

Peggy turned back to Daniel. “Did you know, during the war, Phryne had one with a dagger in it. Ever so useful in a pinch.”

“Yes, _during the war_ ,” Jack remarked archly. “Definitely not before. Or after.” He took a pointed sip of his tea. “Or at this very moment.”

Phryne leveled an imperious look at him. “Unless you’re planning to search me right here at the table, darling, I would keep such scurrilous accusations to yourself.”

He reached out to take her hand, lifting it to give the knuckles a quick kiss. “Tempting, but I’d prefer not to get in trouble with American law enforcement quite so early in the trip.”

Phryne stretched out her fingers to stroke his cheek. “So later then? I’ll pencil in a meeting with Buffalo Bill when we head out west, shall I?”

“You still have his pin, love, he might try to take it back.”

Phryne leaned in. “Then he can fight me for it.”

Jack laughed, forgetting for a moment the two agents across the table. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t forget him.

When Jack finally dragged his eyes away from Phryne it was to see Peggy and Daniel staring at him. Daniel’s expression was inscrutable, but Peggy just looked extraordinarily happy. 

“I’m so pleased to be able to meet you, Chief Superintendent Robinson. Phryne always… spoke very highly of you during the war.”

Jack reluctantly pulled away from Phryne and addressed the other two. “You might as well call me Jack, everyone else does.”

“That’ll be new,” Daniel replied wryly. “I think we’re more used to saying ‘Jack’ with tones of deep annoyance and draining patience. Don’t know that I even remember how to say it friendly anymore.”

“A colleague of ours was shot fairly recently,” Peggy explained. “Convalesced out here with us.” She grimaced slightly. “Not a model patient.”

“ _That_ is an understatement,” Daniel remarked, shooting Peggy a skeptical look. He turned back to the table. “So, Jack, you served as well?”

“I did. Twice actually, same as Miss Fisher.”

“Wow, that’s… impressive. Two wars, unscathed. You two must be either the toughest or the luckiest folks on the planet.” There was no malice in his tone, he was genuinely pleased they had made it through undamaged.

But of course he was wrong.

And Jack didn’t miss the too sympathetic look that Peggy shot him then or the way she began fiddling with her wedding ring when she did it.

“I don’t think any of us served without a cost,” she said quietly, continuing to absently touch the ring before suddenly stopping as the realization of what she was doing hit her. 

Interesting. He could be wrong, but over thirty years as an investigator told him he wasn’t - Phryne had told Peggy about his first marriage. That was both surprising and distressing; surprising because it was completely out of character for Phryne to do so, and distressing because that meant the circumstances of their missions had been more extreme than she had ever let on. 

Jack knew, from a lifetime of experiences he tried not to dwell on, that when things got too intense, too severe, when a person got very, very scared, the urge to share personal information became overwhelming. People would talk just to fill the space with something other than fear. It was a useful interrogation tactic, but Jack had been on the other side of it as well; somewhere in Portsmouth there was a former intelligence officer he had served with who knew far too much about Lulu Loreta.

So if Phryne had told Peggy about the disintegration of his first marriage… she must have been very scared indeed. Perhaps that Jack would lose another wife to another war, pay another cost too great to fathom.

Jack looked over at Peggy, a feeling of enormous gratitude almost overwhelming him. Those two women had kept each other safe. Safe in situations that had clearly terrified the most formidable person he knew. Safe enough that they could all sit here enjoying a lovely spring day in California half a decade later. Jack moved his arm a little to the left and took Phryne’s hand in his; they may not have gotten through unscathed, but they had gotten through. And he would be grateful for that every day.

Daniel continued, having caught the tone shift, but mistaking the reason. “It must have been nice serving with Phryne the second time, though.”

“Actually, Jack and I didn’t see each other much during the war. Seven times over five years, I think,” Phryne estimated.

“Eight,” Jack said, with the certainty of a man who remembered and treasured each and every one. “You always forget Brussels.”

“That’s because it hardly counts,” she insisted. “We saw each other, what, a total of three hours?”

“I knew you were alive, and relatively unharmed. It counts.”

She sighed, but with a smile and a squeeze to his hand. “Very well,” she conceded. “Eight.”

“Must've been hard,” Daniel noted.

“Wasn’t it all?” Phryne said wryly. “But you two work together now?”

“We do,” Daniel said. “Though technically, Peggy doesn’t work for me. She’s the east coast office’s liaison to the west coast. And we have an agent there who is our liaison. Helps the right hand know what the left hand is doing. And has the added benefit of me _not_ being Peggy’s supervisor. Which means we can work together, but also I have, you know, plausible deniability,” Daniel said with a smirk, to which Peggy just rolled her eyes.

Phryne smiled brightly and looked over at Jack. “That’s a bit like how we work, darling,”

“Not quite,” Jack corrected with a tilt of his head. “It appears Chief Sousa had a choice in the matter.”

Daniel snorted. “Yeah, let me just correct you on that; I did not.”

“What?” Peggy’s brow furrowed at his words. “Stop it, of course you did. Chief Thompson suggested it and you agreed.”

If it was possible, Daniel just smirked harder. “Yeah, he didn’t call me as _Chief Thompson_ , he called me as Jack. And Jack - our Jack,” Daniel clarified with a look across the table, “told me you had come up with a plan and that, quote, 'both my life and your life will be a lot easier if we just do as Peggy says,’ unquote.”

Peggy’s expression went from confused to imperious. “And so they are,” she said.

“And so they are,” he agreed with a slightly goofy smile. “Even on days like today.”

“The, uh, car trouble?” Phryne asked, her voice going up again.

Jack and Peggy sighed in tandem.

“What tipped you off?” Peggy asked.

Phryne shrugged. “You have just a smidge of grease under your ear and a bit of leaf in your hair. And I recognized the slightly exasperated look on Daniel’s face from,” a glance over to Jack, “extensive experience.”

Peggy’s eyebrows went up a little as she considered what to say. “We may have been engaged in a minor car chase before we arrived.”

“By which she means she was hanging on the roof of the suspect’s getaway car traveling 50 miles an hour while I followed in my own vehicle, desperately trying to keep up.” Daniel’s exasperated look had returned, but was tempered by extreme fondness. “A not terribly unusual experience for me.”

Peggy laughed. “You keep up just fine, darling. And that tip came from Howard directly - we couldn’t exactly ignore it.”

Next to him, Jack felt as much as saw Phryne’s excited jolt of recognition at the man’s name.

“Oh Howard!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t spoken to him in ages. How _is_ the lamb?”

Daniel did a double take. “I’m sorry - you do know we’re talking about Howard _Stark_.”

“Mmmm. Such a sweet pup. Is he well?” Phryne asked.

Peggy grinned. “Daniel, you are looking at the only woman I have ever seen Howard Stark _moon_ over. He had the biggest crush on Phryne and was every possible type of awkward around her.”

Jack racked his brain to place the name. “Oh, he’s an… inventor, right? Industrialist of some kind?”

Daniel regarded him with a slightly disbelieving expression. “Yeah, something like that. He also owns… what, half of California now?”

“Well now you’re just exaggerating,” Peggy said. 

“Maybe,” Daniel replied sarcastically. “I haven’t looked at the real estate listings today.”

Peggy leaned back in her chair. “Howard asked Phryne to marry him, you know? Twice.” Daniel’s expression had moved from incredulous to dumbstruck and Peggy was clearly enjoying every moment.

“Did he?” Jack fought back a smile. Of _course_ he had. Poor man.

“Once, twice,” Phryne waved her hand in the air as though it was an invitation to tea and not holy matrimony. “Who can remember these things? And anyway I _did_ tell Howard I was spoken for.”

“Oh, are you?” Jack inquired, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. “Lucky man. You must introduce me sometime.”

Phryne nodded. “You’d like him, darling. He’s all dour and serious… until he’s not.”

Jack tried to frown, but that barest hint was winning out and he suspected he just looked besotted instead. He glanced across the table and saw Daniel watching the interaction closely. Jack got the impression if he could take notes he would. Perhaps he thought he was looking into his future. Perhaps he was.

Daniel realized with a start that Jack was looking at him and shook himself. “So, how long have you two been together?” he asked.

Phryne pretended to give it some thought, though Jack knew her memory was as sharp as it had always been. “Oh, what is it now, 20 years?”

“Just about,” Jack confirmed.

Daniel nodded. “Any kids?”

“Not… together,” Jack replied. “Phryne has an adopted daughter, Jane, who she took in shortly after we met.”

“Technically,” Phryne corrected.

“Technically?” Daniel asked.

“Technically she’s my daughter. In reality, when she married a few years ago she insisted that _both_ of us walk her down the aisle.”

Jack took a sip of his tea to hide the look of slightly embarrassed happiness he seemed to wear whenever he remembered it. He had loved Jane like a daughter for years, it just wasn’t until that moment, when she said her wedding day wouldn’t be complete if he wasn’t a part of it, that he had realized she saw their relationship the same way.

That was over three years ago. She had a daughter of her own now, who had taken to calling him “Grandpa Jack,” which he secretly loved. Of course this also meant that she called the woman seated next to him “Grandma Phryne” which openly delighted him.

Phryne was less enthused.

“That’s great,” Daniel said with a smile. The smile of a man who wanted to have children of his own someday. Jack hoped for his sake he and Peggy had already had this conversation.

“Indeed,” Peggy agreed with a similar smile directed towards Daniel.

Oh good, they had. 

When she turned back to Jack, Peggy looked curious. “Superintendent - ” At his pointed look she corrected herself. “ _Jack_. You appear to actually be enjoying that tea, and I could do with a cuppa. Is it good?”

“It is, which is just as surprising as you might think. Didn’t this used to be a colony too? Shouldn’t there be _some_ holdovers from the British?” Jack lamented with false annoyance.

Daniel laughed. “Sorry, friend, we threw all that in the Boston Harbor a couple hundred years ago. Coffee reigns supreme now.”

“Which is also quite good,” Phryne declared, raising her cup.

Peggy looked around in irritation. “Is there actually a waitress at this establishment or did you two bring those with you from the hotel?” 

Daniel grabbed his crutch and made to stand. “I’ll go find someone.”

Peggy put a hand on his arm. “Are you sure? I can - ”

“No, you stay. Catch up with your friend. I’ll be right back.” Daniel walked away towards the indoor section of the cafe, and Peggy turned back to Phryne.

“So, Phryne, do you keep in touch with any of the Baker Street boys?”

“Not too many, I’m afraid. Though I did get a letter last month from Rupert.”

"Really?” Peggy looked shocked. “I thought he swore never to speak to you again?”

“Oh, that only lasted until 1946. Now he sends me holiday cards.”

“Well that’s quite the change of heart. I’m not even sure _I’ve_ forgiven you for that mission.”

Phryne pulled a face, feigning hurt at Peggy’s words. “How was I to know Herr Meyer wanted to tour the countryside before the facility?”

“You left us freezing outside for hours in a Norwegian winter while you took in the lakes. We nearly developed frostbite. Rupert almost lost a toe!”

“The key word there is 'almost', and besides you two had the easy job on that one.”

“Easy? _Easy?_ ” Peggy stared disbelievingly at the woman across from her. “Once you _finally_ got the gate unlocked, we still had to navigate a heavily patrolled weapons plant in the dark, climb back out through the pipes laying explosive charges the entire way, and _then_ paraglide down to the countryside below. Countryside which was, as I mentioned before, still in bloody Norway!”

“Yes, darling, but I had to talk to the man. For _hours_. Do you know how many kinds of bratwurst his mother won awards for? Because I do.”

Peggy leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue the point any further. Phryne took the small victory and continued her story. “Anyway, you’ll like this. In his last letter, Rupert told me that he has a daughter now. Penelope. Said he insisted on a name beginning with ‘P’ so she’d be a little like us, but not _actually_ either of our names, so she wouldn’t be too much like us.”

Peggy looked slightly taken aback at the news. “Well that… is lovely. Well done him. I must say, I never pictured Rupert as a father, but I suppose I never saw him outside of the war. I don’t know that even _he_ knew who he’d be after. I’m glad he made it through. Too many… too many didn’t get a chance to find out.”

Peggy got quiet then, possibly thinking of someone or someones. Phryne watched her carefully, a small frown on her face. After a moment, she leaned forward, slightly conspiratorially.

"You know, he's the one who told me about Agent Fifi,” she said.

At the mention of the new agent’s name, Peggy laughed abruptly - snorted really - taking Jack completely by surprise.

“Agent Fifi?” he asked, fascinated by the younger woman’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Agent Fifi was the codename of a woman who, well I guess you’d call her a final exam,” Phryne told him. “During a mission, British agents in training would be approached by this beautiful, seductive woman who would try and get secrets out of them. Any agent who divulged information was dropped from the program. Rupert told me about her in passing one night over drinks.”

Peggy took up the story. “So in… what was it, 1942?”

“Must have been,” Phryne agreed. 

“It was December ‘42 and Phryne and I were stranded - temporarily - behind enemy lines in France. At what turned out to be a few miles from a large German outpost. So Phryne, _lunatic that she is_ , instead of laying low like she was supposed to, starts chatting up all the officers at the local pub.”

“Imagine my shock,” Jack remarked, delivery dry as the California heat.

“We needed to eat, darling,” Phryne insisted. “And what could it hurt to see what a little flattery and attention might serve up while we were there?”

“Anyway,” Peggy continued, “Phryne’s playing her favorite role, this down on her luck French countess, flirting with everyone higher than a private and gathering info left and right, which she passes to me. She does this for _three nights_ , and then, on the fourth night, this senior officer shows up and pulls her outside, starts demanding her papers, the whole bit. Without missing a beat, Phryne switches to perfect German and tells him she’s codename “Agent Fraulin” sent from High Command to see if she could get secrets out of his men. She tells him she’s pleased to report they all passed with flying colours, but that it’s imperative she completes her mission. Then she looks him dead in the eye and _demands_ to be left to her work.”

“What happened?” Jack asked, calmer than he felt. It was years ago, she was safe, she was here. He knew the story must end well, and yet that small bit of fear he’d carried with him for five years fluttered in his gut. He took a breath, a sip of tea, and waited for the flutter to subside. 

“He personally escorted her back into the pub and then sent over his weapons specialist with two kirschs and a wink.”

Despite the final few flutters, Jack smiled.

“Of course he did,” he said.

“We were there another three nights and Phryne gathered so much intel we were able to cripple operations in the area within the fortnight.”

Phryne shook her head. “What Peggy is leaving out is that our support team never arrived. The only reason we were able to get that intel back to HQ was because she took out four armed guards, hotwired a jeep, and then drove us over a mountain - ”

“Hill,” Peggy corrected.

“Mountain,” Phryne maintained. “In the dark, in the snow. Never got lost, never got defeated.” She smiled at Peggy, soft and sincere. “I was so proud of you.”

Peggy looked down, a little embarrassed. “It was nothing.”

“It most certainly was not. Five years and you were the best agent I ever worked with.”

“What _were_ your codenames?” Jack inquired, both women looking at him in surprise at the seeming non sequitur. 

“Sorry, what?” Peggy asked.

“Well I assume neither of you was actually ‘Agent Fraulin’. And it occurs to me that after all this time Phryne’s never actually told me her codename. I’m just curious.”

“Well Peggy’s was English Rose,” Phryne offered. Then she turned the full force of her smile, which had suddenly become a little bit wicked, on Jack. She leaned in, just slightly. “And mine was Cleopatra.”

And then it was Jack’s turn to snort.

“But that does remind me...” Phryne started rifling through her purse, and made a small noise of disappointment. “Oh damn, it must still be in the car.” She popped up. “Won’t be a moment,” she said, dashing off to the car.

Alone for a minute, Jack considered the woman across from him. She still seemed so young. But he knew now that he was also right about his other assessment - she was a force of nature, just like Phryne.

Same aura.

He cleared his throat. 

“I want to thank you,” he said, voice low and sincere. “For all that you did. Phryne’s exceptionally good at taking care of herself, but it always helps to have a partner, someone watching your back. Thank you for being that for her. For keeping her safe.”

Peggy shook her head. “She kept me safe too.”

“And if Chief Sousa wishes to thank her, he is most welcome to. I am thanking you.”

Peggy smiled, embarrassed again. She was saved from any further gratitude by Phryne’s return. She sat at the table and handed a small box to Peggy.

The younger woman opened it slowly, then gasped. Inside were an antique pair of drop earrings in rose gold. And at the end of each was a small, delicate rose.

“They’re lovely,” Peggy murmured. 

“They were my mother's,” Phryne said softly. “I wanted you to have them.”

Peggy looked up in surprise. “Oh Phryne, surely these should go to your daughter.”

“My daughter is just fine and was very pleased for you to have them. She has many gifts from her grandmother. _These_ belong to my English Rose.”

Peggy looked down, and Jack could see she was trying very hard to keep her emotions in check. When she spoke again, her voice was a little rough, but it held a teasing edge all the same. “If you’re going to say something pithy like they bloom in adversity or are the rarest of all flowers…”

“Not really my style. If I was going to say anything it would be that they are thorny as hell and seem to do best in the manure.” Peggy laughed at that and Phryne smiled. “But I might also add that they are damn near unstoppable once they’ve put down some roots.” Phryne reached across the table and took Peggy’s hand. “I like your young man very much, Peggy. Not that my opinion matters.”

“It matters,” Peggy told her with a shy smile. “Quite a lot actually.” She swallowed and squeezed Phryne’s hand, then picked up the earrings and carefully put them on.

“They look lovely,” Phryne said. She leaned in a little closer to Peggy. “And in a pinch the backs make an excellent lock pick.”

Jack and Peggy both laughed that time, until a noise from the cafe caught their attention and the trio looked up to see Daniel returning to the table, followed by a waitress carrying a tray with coffee and tea. While Daniel took his seat, she placed a teapot in front of Peggy and a cup of coffee in front of Daniel. Then she refreshed Jack and Phryne’s drinks and returned back inside. 

Daniel watched Peggy for a moment. “New earrings?”

“A gift from a dear friend,” she told him, preparing a cup of tea.

He reached out a hand to touch them gently, then brushed a stray lock of hair - a casualty of outdoor dining - behind her ear. “They look swell. ‘Course everything looks good on you.”

She tilted her head. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe.” He took his hand back and shrugged. “Doesn’t make me wrong.”

Shaking her head at her husband, Peggy took a sip of the tea, closed her eyes and smiled. “Oh you are right, Jack, this is wonderful.”

Daniel glanced over at Phryne just as she readjusted her purse, the flask no one had noticed her take out having been disappeared once again from whence it came. He narrowed his eyes infinitesimally at her too-innocent expression, but unable to pinpoint what exactly he’d missed, seemed to just let it go. “I gotta say, Phryne, I’m a little surprised you went for coffee. I figured all classy Brits preferred tea.”

Phryne laughed. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m afraid you have me mistaken for someone else. _Peggy’s_ the classy Brit. I’m just a girl from Melbourne. Collingwood at that.” At Daniel’s confused expression, Phryne thought for a moment then attempted to translate. “Like your lower east side perhaps?”

“Ah.” He lifted his cup in toast. “Well whatever the reason, I applaud your taste in beverages. I’ve tried to enjoy Peg’s teas, I really have, but I’ve never developed a taste.”

“Maybe your taste is the problem,” Peggy suggested archly. “You did dress yourself this morning after all.”

“Naw, I got excellent taste,” he said, unconcerned. “Drinks, clothes, wives. Only the best.” Daniel took Peggy’s hand in his and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. Peggy rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.

“Speaking of matrimony,” he said, turning back to Phryne with a mischievous glint in his eye, “it’s too bad Stark is out of town until the weekend - I’m sure he’d love to see you. I don’t suppose you two could stay an extra week? We could all get dinner once he’s back.”

Peggy clicked her tongue in reprimand. “You just want to see him fawn all over Phryne.”

Daniel’s answering look was both confused and smug. “Well… yeah. I thought my intentions were clear.”

Phryne smiled gently. “I don’t want to embarrass the boy.”

Daniel looked at her imploringly. “Don’t think of it as embarrassing him, think of it as giving me the best wedding gift of all time.” Phryne laughed and Daniel continued. “Plus, I’m sure he really would love to see you.”

Phryne pursed her lips, obviously thinking it over. She looked over at Jack, who shrugged. “There’s a reason we kept our plans flexible,” he told her.

Daniel clapped his hands together. “Great!”

Beside him, Peggy didn’t miss a beat. “And while you’re here, Phryne, maybe you can look at an open case we have - ”

Daniel immediately switched into Chief mode. “Peg…” he warned, “I don’t think she’s got clearance for that.”

Peggy flicked her hand in the air dismissively. “Oh Daniel, her clearance is higher than yours.” She looked at Jack regretfully. “Chief Superintendent Robinson’s however…”

Jack waved off her apology and took another sip of his tea. “Small mercies,” he replied dryly. “I might be the only one who remembers this, but I’m actually on holiday.”

“I’m sure there’s something you could do to keep yourself entertained, Jack,” Phryne suggested. “There are some very good museums in Los Angeles.”

“True. Though I don't suppose there's a footy match I could attend?" Jack asked, mostly as a joke. No American he'd ever met had even heard of Australian footy.

"Uh..." And Daniel's returning expression kept the record intact.

Phryne considered it for a moment. "I think, darling, the closest thing here would be football. _American_ football," she clarified, and Jack wrinkled his nose a little.

“Not in season, I’m afraid.” Daniel said. “But I could take you to a ball game. Baseball, I mean. The Angels are pretty good. Not as good as the Brooklyn Dodgers of course, but decent. Or I could take you to the track.” He flashed a quick smile to his wife. “Peggy’s got a knack for picking a winner.”

“That I do, darling,” she said to him quietly, squeezing his hand softly. His returning look was so pleased and soft, Jack felt for a moment like he was intruding. But for some reason he didn’t turn away.

Looking at the two of them, skilled professionals, young, and so obviously in love, Jack thought he would feel old.He was surprised to realize what he actually felt was relief. He had been worried lately, more worried than usual, about the future, and specifically who would ensure it actually happened. He didn’t have children of his own, but the Collinses had four and Jane was currently expecting her second and besides all that he rather liked the world and would prefer it remained as safe as possible going forward. And it wasn’t that Jack was vain enough to think he was the thin red line - after all, he’d participated in the last war to end all wars as well and look at how that had turned out - but he knew he was a part of it, knew he had helped in his own small way. And above all he knew the world would need more protectors after he and Phryne were well and truly out of the game.

Looking at Peggy and Daniel, Jack thought the world seemed to be in pretty good hands.

Phryne took another sip of her coffee and looked at her watch.

“Well it’s getting late, and seeing as how I had high hopes of getting Jack to take me dancing tonight - ”

“No,” he interjected, though she ignored it entirely.

“If we could get on with it, Peggy?”

“Get on with what?”

“Whatever harebrained scheme you’re about to drag me into, and I assume it’s bigger than one open case. There’s a very specific reason you flagged my arrival in the States, Peggy, and it’s almost certainly business related or we’d be enjoying some fairly excellent whisky by now.”

“Aren’t you anyway?” Peggy countered with a nod towards Phryne’s coffee.

“Touché, darling, but the question stands.”

“Fine.” Peggy folded her hands on the table and somehow sat up even straighter, something Jack hadn’t thought was physically possible. “I have a new idea, and I think you should be a part of it. Can we talk?”

Phryne drained the last of her coffee, put down her cup and mirrored Peggy’s posture.

“Of course. On one condition - what’s the lipstick?”

Peggy quirked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“The lipstick you dropped earlier had a Stark Industries logo on it. And while Howard was always an enterprising young man, I don’t think he’s branched out into mainstream cosmetics.”

Jack nodded at Peggy’s purse. “It fell out with the microdot camera / compact.” At Peggy’s surprised look, Jack shrugged. “Wild surmise, of course.”

Daniel appeared slightly gobsmacked. “And his clearance is _lower_?”

Peggy regarded Phryne and Jack carefully. Daniel noticed her expression and sighed. “Peg…” he said, knowing it would do no good.

Making her decision, Peggy turned excitedly, grabbed her purse and pulled out the lipstick. “It’s a reusable flashbang.”

“Really?” Phryne leaned in to look closer. “How clever!”

“It’s ever so useful in creating a distraction.”

“Can I see how it works?”

“Of course!” Peggy picked it up, but Daniel put a hand on her arm.

“Uh, Peggy, you wanna take that somewhere else for the show and blast?”

Daniel gestured around the patio. They were still the only patrons, but the waitress was finally back, going between the indoor and outdoor seating to set up for the dinner crowd, and there were almost certainly other employees nearby as well. 

Peggy nodded, looked around and gestured towards the end of the boardwalk which was entirely deserted. 

Phryne went to stand, and Jack caught her eye. “Miss Fisher? Try to remember the bit about _not_ getting in trouble with law enforcement, alright?”

Phryne huffed at him over her shoulder and pushed in her chair. “So Peggy, what’s this new idea?”

Peggy took Phryne’s arm in hers and began walking away.

“Phryne, I’d like to talk to you about something we’re calling the SHIELD initiative…”

Jack watched them walk away, then shifted his gaze to the ocean, red now from the setting sun.

After a moment or two of silence, Daniel cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry about the, uh, security clearance.”

“Don’t be. Truly.”

Daniel hesitated a second, then continued. “Can I ask a question?” Jack looked back at him and nodded. “It’s about the 'Miss Fisher' thing. I looked into your files. You are married, right?”

“Mmmm. Since 1940, yes. We never really saw the need, but before we left for the front, it seemed... prudent. But Miss Fisher has always been more what you might call a term of endearment, anyway.” The corner of his mouth turned down in what Phryne called his not-smile smile. “You looked into our files?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I’m a little overly cautious. Hazard of the job, I suppose.”

“Of course,” Jack said genially.

“It’s rare, you know, for Peggy to be in awe of someone. I needed to see for myself. And what wasn’t redacted in your wife’s file is extremely impressive.”

“I imagine it is.”

“And you’re no slouch yourself. You know, if you ever did want to explore your options stateside - ”

A loud bang and a cloud of smoke rising from the direction of the empty boardwalk interrupted him. The waitress ran out onto the patio and looked around.

“Car backfired,” Daniel called out calmly. She looked at him suspiciously, but walked back inside anyway. “So, about what I was saying…”

“Chief Sousa, let me be honest with you. I’ve spent a fifth of my life fighting in world wars and most of the rest fighting crime in my little corner of it. I think I’m just about happy to leave it up to the next generation now.”

Daniel nodded, though his expression was a little incredulous. Jack didn’t blame him; he wasn’t even sure himself he wouldn’t have a change of heart someday. But for now…

The two men looked back at the boardwalk. The smoke had cleared and Phryne was saying something to Peggy, gesturing with her arms excitedly. Peggy was nodding and smiling. 

Jack leaned back in his seat and sipped his tea.

Without looking away from the women, Daniel spoke. “20 years, huh?”

“Almost exactly.”

“Does life ever get…” 

He paused and Jack decided he was probably searching for a better word than easier. Because Jack knew that’s not what he meant. Jack knew all too well what he actually meant.

Another bang from the boardwalk.

“...quieter?” Daniel finally asked. 

Turning towards the other man, Jack smiled broadly and answered honestly. “No. No, it doesn’t.”

Daniel leaned back in his chair and swiveled his head towards the table, a wide grin of delight on his face. “Thank god.”

Jack held up his tea cup in silent toast. 

“Absolutely.” 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my very first attempt writing for Agent Carter and also my very first attempt at a crossover. What could compel me to do both, you ask? In a word, spite. Not naming any names (Russo Brothers) but Peggy is the hero of her own damn story and not a prize in someone else’s. Said spite prompted a rewatch of Agent Carter (and holy moly does that show hold up!) and then a deep dive into the show's fic (thank you fabulous AC writers out there!), which is when I decided that the above meeting between my two favorite human badasses sorta _needed_ to happen, so... be the crossover you want to see in the world, I guess? And here we are.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading. :-)
> 
> And for folks who have read my stuff before, never fear, because your obligatory aurora_australis history lesson commences now! ;-)
> 
> The Baker Street Irregulars was another name for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a clandestine British World War II organization. Other nicknames for the organization include Churchill's Secret Army and the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Peggy Carter worked with them in canon, and I think we can all believe that Phryne did too.
> 
> The Los Angeles Angels were a Minor League Baseball team based in Los Angeles from 1903 through 1957. The Brooklyn Dodgers wouldn’t become the LA Dodgers until 1958.
> 
> “Agent Fifi" was Marie Chilver, an English-born woman who was raised throughout Europe. She was jailed in an internment camp in 1940 but escaped to England in 1941. She tried to get sent back to France as a spy, but wasn't allowed. Instead, she became the beautiful, seductive final exam for British spy trainees. British agents would be approached by Chilvers during their mission and she tried and to secrets out of them. Any who divulged information were dropped from the program.


End file.
